Rural Community Assistance Partnership

Practical solutions for improving rural communities

September 2013

EPA webcast on September 17 on incorporating wetlands into watershed planning

Posted Fri, 2013/09/13 - 9:48am by RCAP

There will be an EPA Watershed Academy webcast on September 17 from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm Eastern on the new "Wetlands Supplement: Incorporating Wetlands into Watershed Planning." This document published is a supplement to EPA's Handbook for Developing Watershed Plans to Restore and Protect Our Waters and is intended to encourage the inclusion of proactive wetland management in the watershed-planning process.

Out of sight, out of mind: Carcinogenic chemical spreads beneath Michigan town

Posted Mon, 2013/09/09 - 11:19am by RCAP

When state and federal environmental officials visited the tucked-away town of Mancelona, Mich., 15 years ago, their presence surprised local residents.

"My heart and most of my life has been spent here in Antrim County,” said Gary Knapp, a long-time resident. “And I knew nothing of its environmental problems.”

EPA releases new climate science lesson plans for middle school classrooms

Posted Mon, 2013/09/09 - 11:10am by RCAP

EPA has released seven new lesson plans about climate change developed specifically for middle school students. The lesson plans and related classroom activities are tailored to meet the National Science Learning Standards, and the majority can be completed in one class period of 45 to 60 minutes. Topics covered by the lesson plans include:

Reuters: World set to use much more wastewater - U.N.-backed study

Posted Mon, 2013/09/09 - 10:52am by RCAP

By Environment Correspondent Alister Doyle

OSLO, Sept 5 (Reuters) - The world is set to use far more treated wastewater to help irrigate crops and feed a rising population as fresh water supplies dry up, a team of U.N.-backed experts said Sept. 5.

A study led by Japan's Tottori University and U.N. University's Canadian-based Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) forecast "a rapid increase in the use of treated wastewater for farming and other purposes worldwide".

Washington Post: ‘Flushable’ personal wipes clogging sewer systems, utilities say

Posted Mon, 2013/09/09 - 9:41am by RCAP

One of the issues that RCAP cares about is going mainstream! It's getting attention by the media and thus the general public. An article appeared on the front page of the Sunday Washington Post on Sept. 8.

The article begins:

"Next time you go to toss that 'flushable' wipe in the toilet, you might want to consider a request from your sewer utility: Don’t.